Buy it... on the song compilation album if you seek all of the
powerful music you heard in the film, for this is a rare case in which
the original score by Howard Shore stood no chance of competing with the
song placements for the emotional heart of the picture.

Avoid it... on the score album if you expect Shore's contribution
to provide anything more than safely conservative orchestral atmosphere
of a surprisingly fluffy nature for this otherwise gripping film.

Philadelphia: (Howard Shore) After blazing through
the awards ceremonies with his classic Silence of the Lambs,
director Jonathan Demme turned his attention to a topic that was sure to
gain similar press: AIDS discrimination. There was much to be impressed
by in the weighty 1993 drama Philadelphia, perhaps the most
notorious film ever to tackle the subject during the disease's
ascendancy. Despite its many strengths, the production didn't gain as
much critical praise and award wins due its overwhelmingly heavy-handed
approach, pounding the viewer over the head with cut and dry depictions
of character and prejudice. Still, it remains a powerful story of a
senior associate at a prestigious Philadelphia law firm who remains
secretive about his homosexuality and, for as long as he can, about his
AIDS as well. When the truth is revealed, the firm fires the promising
lawyer, leading the man to spend the remainder of his days fighting a
wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer with help of an
attorney against whom he had previously battled in court. This tandem of
Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington was extremely effective, with Hanks
earning his first Oscar win for a role that required him to physically
waste away on screen. One of the most important assets in
Philadelphia's incredible emotional appeal is Demme's use of
music in the film. He renewed his collaboration with composer Howard
Shore for the project, though the score is easily overshadowed in the
finished product by the application of heartbreaking songs directly to
the narrative. Even veteran film score collectors have to recognize the
superiority and dominance of the song placements in Philadelphia
when compared to Shore's work. Demme hired Bruce Springsteen and Neil
Young to write original songs to deliver a punch at the start and end of
the film and used the Hanks' character's love of opera to convey an
important (and arguably creepy) scene of despair. The aria is the only
piece with which the actors directly interact on screen, though its
presence is swallowed up by the incredibly potent application of the
Springsteen and Young songs. The former artist ended up taking home an
Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy for "Streets of Philadelphia,"
though fans of the film have argued with some merit that Young's
"Philadelphia" (also nominated for an Oscar) is a more pivotal
representation of intense sadness at the conclusion of the picture.
Either way, Shore's conservatively pretty score is something of an
afterthought, especially with its unassuming stature fading away into
the sound mix throughout Philadelphia.

For those familiar with the film, the score for
Philadelphia is surprisingly airy and carefree. The atmosphere is
maintained by bubbly string and woodwind performances, occasionally
accented by acoustic guitar, lightly struck percussion, contemporary
keyboarded tones, and harp. The brass section is only employed in the
more upbeat or redemptive sequences, led by a solo trumpet that
struggles in its attempt to perform a unique identity for the score in
"Senior Associate Andrew Beckett," "Birth," and "The Verdict." While
appealing, the solo trumpet theme isn't enunciated clearly enough to
compete with the songs' melodies. Shore does occasionally reference
fragments of Young's "Philadelphia" progressions, especially in the
latter half of "Senior Associate Andrew Beckett." Otherwise, the score
meanders along without any crescendos of emotional significance, passing
vague harmonic passages between the violins and various woodwinds for
several non-descript cues. One notable exception is Shore's mild panic
motif, which takes the form of a minor-key rhythm performed by a variety
of light percussion (led by harp) in "Minor Catastrophe" and "The
Missing Document." By the time fluttering woodwinds and quietly tense
string rhythms join the harp's plucking, the atmosphere takes on a sense
of urgency and consternation worthy of a Bernard Herrmann score. Another
exception is a small dose of flair in the keyboard and tambourine
contributions to the score's most positive cue, "Birth." On the whole,
however, Shore's music is merely average in every respect, careful not
to step on the toes of the noteworthy performances on screen. When you
watch Philadelphia, don't be surprised if you cannot recall any
of the score during or after the experience. The shots of the city
during the opening credits and Springsteen's song are a beautiful
snapshot of early 1990's life, and the sorrowful, sparse performance by
Young over the montage of the Hanks character's childhood movies to
close the film will bring tears to your eyes. These two songs, as well
as the aria "La Momma Morta" (performed by Maria Callas), were included
on Sony's primary song compilation album for Philadelphia. That
product includes a decent compilation of performances and a short suite
of music from Shore's score (including the subtle references to Young's
melody) and is ironically a better recommendation as a representation of
the film than the label's follow-up score album released a few weeks
later in January of 1994. The latter presentation adds additional opera
selections but has difficulty maintaining interest due to the
conservative nature of the score. In this rare case, go with the song
album. Even after a generation has passed since the debut of
Philadelphia, its pair of original songs is as effectively
gripping as the day it dominated the airwaves. @Amazon.com: CD or
Download

Music as Heard on the Song Compilation Album: ****

Music as Heard on the Score Album: ***

Overall: ****

Bias Check:

For Howard Shore reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.56
(in 25 reviews)and the average viewer rating is 3.27
(in 97,496 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.